Chapter 25

A black creature darted out from the shadows and sped towards Veronica's naked and well shaped ankles, wrapping itself sinuously around them and bringing a much needed touch of warmth to those chilled parts of her almost frozen body.

The frightened and startled girl, scarcely suppressed a frightended scream, looked down and felt her heart rate rapidly subside to a more sustainable level.

Beneath her in the gloom, the lovely Veronica descried the shape of a long haired and very friendly cat, whose pretty face stared up at her with adoration.

As she bent down, she was able to make out the features of this very talkative feline. As the mews and wails of the darling little creature filled the night air with their sweetly musical cadences, she recognised the furry little face that was turning itself up to her with such a winsomely appealing look.

Oh, yes!

This was the adorable moggie, whose features on a duplicated poster had stared out at the passing and, sadly, indifferent multitudes from pretty well every tree trunk in Hampstead for several days, now.

Veronica recalled to mind the words of this notice in all their heart rending pathos.

"MISSING CAT. Lost since Saturday. Very greatly loved friend and faithful companion. Reward Offered for Safe Return."

There followed the phone number of the distressed owner.

Veronica playfully twitched the big toe of her right foot and the animal made a dive for it, fastening its teeth painlessly upon it. She laughed.

"Oh, you little darling!"

Then she thought. This lost feline wanderer had a name. This name had been inscribed on the notice, but she could not, for the moment, remember what it was. Something pretty bloody daft, she recalled, but what?

Veronica stood frowning with concentration and shivering in the rapidly intensifying cold as she cudgelled her brains to yield up the name of this sweet little stray.

And THEN! It came to her.

"Cuddlywinks?, she nervously intoned to the still writhing creature as it continued its ministrations to her lower limbs.

"Miaowowwow!!, Prrr! Prr!" replied Cuddlywinks, as he appreciated in the depths of his primitive intelligence, that his days of fending for himself were now over! A rescuer was at hand! This lovely lady knew his name!

He had enjoyed, to start with, the novel experience of fending for himself in those first days after a backfiring car engine had caused him to flee, panic stricken, from his home and become hopelessly lost, ending up here on the Heath as an involuntarily feral feline

This nice young lady had addressed him by name! He was recognised at long last for who he was. Oh, Bliss! Soon this lovely woman, with her sweetly scented body, would take him home to renew his life of pampered ease with a doting owner. Cuddlywinks enthusiastically returned his attentions to Veronica's well turned ankles.

"Oh, come on! Time for us both to be heading home. I don't know about you, sweetheart, but I'm perishing bloody cold!"

Veronica picked the animal up and started to carry him in her arms. She looked down at him in the faint half-moonlit light and cooed. "Oh, aren't you a sweet little boy?"

"And you have the juiciest pair of tits I've ever seen, sweetheart" replied Cuddlywinks. He dearly loved his owner, but this old lady had long ago ceased to possess a body like that of his luscious rescuer!

To Veronica's untutored human ears, this came out as "Ioww, Owww, Mioaww".

An affronted Veronica began to realise the import of the cat's remarks when the appreciative Cuddlywinks began vigorously to caress her hardened and very sensitive nipples with his warm and rough little tongue.

"You dirty little sod! You feline pervert!" a horrified and disgusted Veronica shrieked. "From now on you walk you depraved little fellow!"

The disappointed cat was rapidly deposited upon the ground and henceforth followed adoringly behind the tall and lovely naked lady. He was determined that he would not lose sight of her. Every now and again, he would wind himself around her delicately sculpted ankles and nearly bring her crashing to the ground.

After what seemed to the increasingly irritable Veronica to be an age, she came to the point where it was possible to leave the avenue and make across the grass to the main road and then to her ever more dreamed of home.

Could this be the end of my day of troubles? She asked.

We shall have to wait and see!